2018 has brought some alarming new developments to the situation for refugees and displaced people on Chios. After the failure of a recent injunction meant to halt Vial’s expansion, a group of frustrated locals set up camp on the road leading into Vial, forcing refugees to walk through crowds of...
Category: Protection
Christmas Present Drive
The festive season is here and it’s time to start thinking of presents. Action from Switzerland is going to give you a helping hand by providing you with some great gift options. But you’re not just buying a gift, you are giving vulnerable women in Greece a chance at a...
Combating Gender Based Violence
Action from Switzerland held a two-day Gender-Based Violence (GBV) training at the Athena Women’s Centre for volunteers working on Chios island, namely from our partners, the Refugees Law Clinic Abroad, SMH and BAAS.We believe the training was much-needed - vital education to female volunteers to help strengthen the relationship and support...
What women really want: Focus Group Report – October 2017 – Special Feature: Vial
https://www.youtube.com/embed/99dHcU9sRaoIntroductionIn order to understand the unique challenges faced by our sisters on the run, the AfS team conducts quarterly focus groups with the girls and women who attend our Athena Centre for Women on Chios. These groups give the girls a focused platform to offer their feedback and share experiences...
Shoo Akhbarik?
EDITOR'S NOTE: Lydia spent two months on Chios volunteering at our Athena Centre for Women. Fluent in French and Arabic - two of the most frequently used languages at our Centre - meant that Lydia is able to communicate freely with the women. Lydia was also instrumental in giving the girls a...
What women really want: Focus Group Report – July 2017
In the year since Action From Switzerland opened our Athena Centre for Women, girls from Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, Congo, Sudan, and Eritrea received access to legal information, psychological support, safe and clean shower facilities, educational and mindful classes - and to generally relax in a safe space.In fact, a...
Fluchtopia
August 1st is a special day in Switzerland as the entire country celebrates its foundation with brunch and barbeques, music and fireworks, and thousands of Swiss flags. Perhaps it should also be a day for the Swiss to consider how fortunate they are to live in a country with abundant...
Lives in limbo: A reflection on the European response to tragedy
Author: Eleanor ButterwickSince 2015, the European Union has been struggling to deal with a refugee and migrant crisis that was brought to a head by the wars in Syria and Iraq. According to Eurostat, by the end of 2015, 1.3 million people fleeing conflict and persecution had travelled through Greece...
AfS FEATURE IN AMNESTY: FEMALE REFUGEES IN GREECE AN OASIS ON THE ISLAND OF DESPAIR
EDITOR’S NOTE:We recently hosted a journalist, Julie Jeannet from Amnesty Switzerland, on Chios.Julie spent a few days in our Athena Centre for Women and observed the camp conditions. Below is her article translated into English.From our humble beginnings in the summer of 2015, as a Facebook group of people concerned about the...
We’re not going anywhere
It has been announced that the Greek government will be taking over the funding, selection and management of support services to both camps - Vial and Souda - on Chios as of 31st July. We confirm that various ECHO-funded NGOs have been affected and some will be withdrawing their services,...